30-second board

British Formula One team that wasn’t so dusty

Underneath this military-looking, surprisingly scratchy car cover lay Britain’s world championship dawn. Draw it back and you could glimpse that bulbous shape, the high seating position and long tapering nose. Once fully removed you could circle the British Racing Green machine noting its toolmaker’s fit and finish and attention to detail. Britain no longer needed to hide its face in the GP paddocks.

Forthright boss Tony Vandervell wanted everything to be just so. He had seen how Mercedes-Benz had gone about the business of winning grands prix — and how BRM hadn’t. Making sure that these covers were a snug fit — a press-studded flap allowing his beloved racers to be manoeuvred without their removal — was a small, but absolutely indicative part of what he and his team were all about.